Darkest Dawn
by kinders92
Summary: “Benjamin,” I whispered with my last breath before the fire engulfed my body. The fire raging through my body was such a foreign sensation, tearing me apart limb by agonizing limb while patching up a very specific hole...


Prologue

"Benjamin," I whispered with my last breath before the fire engulfed my body. The fire raging through my body was such a foreign sensation, tearing me apart limb by agonizing limb while patching up a very specific hole that had been in my chest for nearly a year now. My faceless creator stood over me expectantly; I knew he was waiting for me to scream- do anything that would show I was being tortured right now. But that stupid, faceless man didn't know that this experience wasn't going to leave me abandoned. Quite contrarily, this experience would reunite me with my other half.

_Benjamin,_ I thought through the pain, _I'll be with you soon enough._

Chapter One

"Welcome to Forks, Washington" read the dreary little sign. This place certainly held much promise for me- the green vegetation alone would have been enough of a shield for me but, thanks to the gray, lifeless, rainy skies, I would be able to enroll in a school and go about a normal-looking life. It seems that I'll have to settle for this life, as my travels have still left me without my other half…

I shook away the dull pulling sensation that was threatening to make the hole in my chest- which had somewhat decreased over time-rip even farther out. I watched the cars on the town's only road wiz past me, reminding me that since I'd recently acquired a Washington driver's license, a car to drive would be nice. I'll have to search around for a cheap car dealership once I found someplace to live. These things weren't so much a necessity, though, as food. I opened up my senses completely for the first time since entering the small town and let everything flood over me. I could hear life everywhere- the flittering sounds of the animal life in the forest, the sounds of the humans going about their everyday business. No one smelled particularly interesting to me here.

A grunt of exasperation washed through me. What was the point of looking further into my choices on the Forks' population menu if I was already growing tired of the selection? Oh well, animals weren't that bad, I suppose. And I've noticed my eyes grow pleasant shades of gold when I stick to a more vegetarian diet, anyway. I suppose I'll save a lot of money I would be spending on colored contacts if my eyes truly were a non-threatening color. While I pondered over my food options, the burning in my throat began to reach the intolerable stage. Cars and housing would simply have to wait for a while. I needed to hunt. Now.

I veered slowly off the side of the road into the thick, green vegetation of the Forks forest, allowing all human thoughts to drift out of my body the entire time, and opening myself completely to my predator instincts. There was a group of elks not far off. They had a tame, pleasant taste to them, but I wanted something with a bit more a fight in it for this meal. With nothing but easy traveling for the past few days, I needed something to fight with. I further opened up my predator instincts and that's when I felt it: The sound of another predator stalking. A wildcat stalking the elk. It seemed perfect for me right now. I crouched down low and leapt upward. I caught hold of the branch, as I knew I would; however the branch didn't seem to like supporting my unbreakable body. I closed my eyes and called upon the earth element. I could feel the forest sway about me with a renewed sense of energy while I strengthened the tree. Even after the earth affinity had left me, the forest seemed to keep its renewed life about it. I smirked while I swayed about on the branch- testing its new strength. Typical. As soon as any elemental thing felt my power, it began to appreciate me more. I shrugged off the feeling I suddenly got of the forest kissing up to me and swayed once more around the branch, swinging completely around it and performing a perfect front tuck before my feet soundlessly found the forest floor again. My landing was fairly precise, and I praised myself when I looked up and found myself merely feet away from the mountain lion. I inhaled deeply, appreciating the appealing smell the cat had for me. Suddenly I was ravenously thirsty. Forget a fight, I needed the warmth of that cat's blood in me _now_. Silently, I crouched down and leapt straight for its throat. The cat didn't even have enough time to shriek.

After I had my fill for the day (the mountain lion wasn't enough so I decided I might as well take down a couple of elks), I began to wander through the forest. With each tree I passed, their branches reached out toward me in greeting. The dirt I walked on seemed fresher. The air around me seemed thick with joy and sweet with the smell of a rainstorm that I was sure would hit within the hour. Feeling the elements come alive all around me got on my nerves at first, they usually feel like the girls at petty little high schools that just want to talk to me because they believe my beauty will make them popular. But after a while, the joy held in the elements rubs off on me, and it's hard to _not _feel happy. So even when the rain began to fall, I wasn't upset- not at all.

I played with the rain, shifting it so it wouldn't touch me, admiring the fresh rejuvenation contained in each drop. It entertained me so much that I didn't even notice the sky was starting to darken until the rain began to slow and eventually stop falling. I got up with a sigh and made my way back to the road. Food was no longer a necessity. It was time to find someplace to stay now. Then I'd tackle the car situation.

*****

Forks had one dingy motel called the Forestry Inn. The color schemes were very soothing blues, greens, and browns, and it only cost twenty a night to stay there. I wasn't complaining in the least. The room was relatively clean- the walls were a nice coffee brown and the carped an emerald green. There was one armoire with a TV holder containing a fourteen-inch TV with cable. The double bed took up most of the room, but there was still enough room to in one corner to squeeze in a tiny table and heater/air conditioner. A small room lay to the side containing a person-sized shower, a toilet and a sink with a mirror above it. It was far from perfect, but it would do. And it was mine for the next two weeks. I had no use for most trivial human things, such as showers, most of the time- but the journey down to Forks had been a long one. It would also help if it looked like I was actually _using_ the room for such things as sleeping and keeping myself clean.

After my shower, I got to work making the room look like it was being lived in. I took a straightener and a curling iron out and set them on the counter along with a bag containing the necessary toiletries for a teenaged girl. I took the few clothes I'd bothered to take with me and arranged them neatly in the small armoire. There was a clock next to the bed reading a time of eight forty one pm. I reached for the TV remote and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels with more speed than necessary. I ended up watching an all-night monster movie marathon on TMC. Funny how some things turn out, isn't it?

I opened my eyes from my pretend slumber at seven thirty am, just like any other morning. I got up, tossed the blankets of the motel bed in a more neat arrangement, and walked over to the bathroom mirror, admiring the beautiful face staring back at me. My eyes were a brilliant topaz color from the months I'd been going on my vegetarian diet, my skin pale yet somehow still retaining the olive color that was much darker during my human years. My raven-black hair cascaded in thick waves halfway down my back. _Exotic beauty_ was the word that followed me no matter what town I went to. The boys in each town pined over me, but most of them subconsciously knew to look but not touch. I tried to stay out the way of mirrors; I know what I look like. I've looked the same for a good sixty years now. But sometimes those hazy teenaged obsessions rush over me, and I feel compelled to look at myself and shallowly admire my beauty before going about the rest of my day. I knew if Benjamin were here, he'd say, "Sheesh, Ebony get over yourself already."

My Benjamin… I miss him so much. My brother, my other half… I know that he's been here; I can feel it deep in my bones. That's one of the benefits of being a twin- you can always sense where your other half has been. And my beloved Benjamin has been through Forks recently. I can just picture him going through this tiny town, taking it in with his big, brown eyes… But his eyes aren't brown anymore, are they? No, they are probably a mystifying scarlet color. I could feel a dull pulling sensation overcoming my heart, and I shook it off as I cleared my mind and focused on the task at hand. I had recently "renewed" my license, and it would be nice to have a car to get around with for a while. But what kind of dealership would accept a full payment in cash without asking questions? Oh well, I'll try the first place I find and if it looks like they won't take my payment form I'll go set up a bank account.

*****

Fraca's Quality Cars does not exactly have quality cars. Most of the cars on the lot had definitely seen better days, and it was tough to find something that wasn't made in a year new than 1986. But after much searching, I was finally able to find a 2002 silver Volkswagen Beetle that suited my liking for five grand. Mr. Fraca looked at me with interested eyes when I pulled the five grand from my purse with a sheepish look on my face.

"Ah, you must be related to the Cullens," he said with a smile as he took my money and we finalized the paperwork. Hmm, another family that has paid large sums in cash? In a place that hardly ever sees sunshine? I wonder if they could help me out…

"Yes I am," I lied with smooth finesse, "but I haven't visited in a while and I can't seem to find their house. Would you mind giving me some directions?"

The man looked a bit awkward and guilty as he said, "I don't actually know where the exact address of the Cullen residence," that's odd. In a town as small as this one, everyone usually knows where everyone lives, "But see that silver Volvo parked across the way in the gas station? That's Edward's car. Perhaps he can help you out…"

Mr. Fraca finished filling out my paperwork with a jab to the fragile paper. "There you are. Miss Cunningham. Enjoy your first car."

I smiled (without teeth of course) sweetly at Mr. Fraca. "Thank you so much, Mr. Fraca. I'm going to try and catch up to Edward now."

I snatched the keys pinched between his outstretched fingers and hurried into my Beetle. I was able to pull into the spot next to the Volvo in the nick of time. The person next to the pump was just about to get into his car. I knew he was what I was looking for. I heard no pulse drumming through his body; no tantalizing scent of blood floated away from him into my hypersensitive nose…

"Excuse me," I trilled in my beautiful voice.

He whirled around nonchalantly and when his golden eyes met mine, I knew he knew all about me. Still he played along beautifully. "The word around this town is that your family in very mechanically inclined."

He had a beautiful smile. In face, even for out type, he was very beautiful. The way his curls were swept away from his face… I've always been a sucker for hair like his. "You might say that. Is there any way I can help you?"

"Take a look under the hood and see if everything checks out? I'm not much of a car expert but something seems off…"

I watched him stride smoothly away from his car and over to my beetle. I gave him a curt nod as he found the spot that pops the hood and then stepped beside him. Speaking so fast that I knew only he could hear, I said, "Are you a Cullen?"

"What can I help you with?"

"Honestly? Everything. I'm looking for someone; I have this feeling that you've met with him not too long ago. And I wouldn't mind staying here for a while, if you don't mind. I haven't hunted humans in quite a while. And I was thinking about enrolling in the local high school. I just need to get settled down for a while…"

The Cullen boy looked at me blankly, as if he was searching for something specific, for at least a few seconds before telling me, "Follow me home and meet my family. I'm sure we'd all love to hear your story."

"How can you be so sure I have a story?"

He chuckled lightly as he set down my hood and got back into his Volvo. "Our kind always has a story."


End file.
